Majority in U.S. Still Say a Third Party Is Needed

Story Highlights

57% of Americans say a third major political party is needed

Majority support for third party for fifth consecutive year

Support for a third party highest among independents

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A majority of Americans, 57%, say there is a need for a third, major political party, while 38% of Americans believe the current two party system does an adequate job of representing the people. These views have been consistent since 2013.

Americans' views of the two-party system have soured since Gallup's initial 2003 measurement when a solid majority said the Republican and Democratic parties were doing an adequate job. More than 40% continued to feel this way on occasion through 2012, but since then no more than 38% have believed the two parties are adequate while as many as 61% have said a third party is needed.

The latest results come from Gallup's annual Governance survey, conducted Sept. 4-12, as many midterm election races for governor, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate feature pitched battles between Republican and Democratic candidates. Typically, majorities of Americans have supported a third major political party. However, there have been a few major departures from the trend. These include 2008 and 2012, both presidential election years.

Independents are, not surprisingly, the political partisan group most supportive of a third party. Seventy-two percent of political independents support a third major political party. Independents have consistently been most supportive of a third party.

Both Democrats and Republicans typically have similar levels of support for a third major political party. However, this year there is a substantial, 16-percentage-point gap between the two partisan group, with 54% of Democrats and 38% of Republicans supporting a third major political party. A similar gap was seen from 2003-2006 when the Republicans also held control of both the presidency and Congress.

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Sept. 4-12, 2018, with a random sample of 1,035 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

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